TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. — -- When it comes to being all you can be in all aspects of life, people must put forth a strong enough effort to achieve their goals. This is especially true for Staff Sgt. Patrick Backus who is assigned to the 772nd Enterprise Sourcing Squadron as a contracting specialist and this week’s Gulf Defender unsung hero.
From monitoring contractor performance in deployed locations and other areas of responsibility, to providing support services to Airmen, Backus always does it with the Air Force, and its Airmen, in mind.
Born at Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England, Backus was brought up in the military style of life and spent a large portion of his youth in Papillion, Nebraska.
“As an Air Force brat, people generally think I moved around frequently, but surprisingly we didn’t move around much at all,” Backus said. “It was nice to have the military community without having to move as much as some of my friends did. I was able to get to know people from various places without having to change houses or schools.”
He is a husband and father of two that owns a yellow Labrador retriever named Aurora, and a Maine coon cat called Archimedes.
Upon graduating high school, Backus attended the University of Central Oklahoma and obtained a Bachelor’s degree in business administration in 2011. He currently attends the University of the Incarnate Word online, pursuing a Master of Business Administration. Bacchus plans to achieve this goal by 2018.
“I just want to take my education as far as I can take it and use the knowledge gleaned to improve my job skills,” Backus said. “While simultaneously motivating those around me to pursue their education as well.”
The knowledge obtained from his degree in business administration has helped him tremendously in being able to quickly pick up and understand the concepts of contracting.
Backus’ current position is that of a contract specialist on the Air Force contract augmentation program team. With this position, he along with a team of others are responsible for managing rapid contingency response contracts for the Air Force and other government entities needing assistance.
“The fast pace and huge impact of the contracts written on this team drew me in, and I have enjoyed every second,” Backus added. “I have worked on contracts with greatly differing missions ranging from quickly providing Ebola response equipment to Africa, to providing engineering assistance services in Afghanistan. It’s something new each and every day. Knowing that the services we’ve contracted are supporting a major exercise with coalition partners, or supporting critical functions at a base, really makes you feel like you’re making a difference every day.”
When not purchasing and administering needed support to warfighters stateside and abroad, Backus enjoys educating himself on the many wonders of astronomy.
“It’s so easy to just go out and look at the stars and planets hoping to observe rare celestial events,” Backus said. “My kids are also interested in it, and it’s a great way for us to connect and spend time together. Doing so definitely is a very calm and relaxing hobby.”
In order to obtain the position he currently holds, Backus was required to attend several classes to be fully certified as a contracting specialist. Classes included TDYs to Georgia, Alabama and Michigan. Afterwards he was privileged to travel to Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, and provide support for an enterprise-wide energy meter project kick-off between contractor and government personnel.
“Staff Sgt. Backus’ dedication to the Air Force mission is evident to both his peers and mentors who have worked with him both past and present,” said Tech. Sgt. Angelina Parker, 772nd ESS operating location interim superintendent. “He has been an instrumental force to our Air Force Civil Engineer Center and Air Force Central Command mission by managing more than $50 million in contingency support contracts that span across seven AORs.”
Backus holds the principle that having a supportive family, coupled with a supportive chain of command, makes it fairly easy to balance work and home life.
“When I have to leave for training or stay late at work, my wife is always there to pick up my slack and has been hugely supportive,” Backus said. “When the pace of work slows, it’s important to use leave to devote extra time to the family and recharge. So it’s been quite easy being a husband to a lovely wife and children, as well as serving in the world’s greatest Air Force.”